from Hacker News

How to Walk (12 miles a day)

by detcader on 5/3/22, 4:07 PM with 251 comments

• by entropie on 5/3/22, 5:18 PM

  Easy to accomplish (at least for me). One word: Dog. I walk daily 90 minutes at least. There was a time (and another dog, but thats not the reason) where it was more like 120-200 minutes a day outside. I live in a fairly populated town in east Germany. We have a solid forest and lots of lakes around. Its great and like 20 years+ later I know most of them, but not all.

  My coworker and I worked like a year together at my place. He came around, we drank a coffee together and started working. Like 3-4 hours later, depending on schedule, we took a good 60 minutes+ walk with my dog. We talked project related things sometimes, but it felt never like "we have to talk about work", We were kind of friends so we had lots of other topics. Then back at my place we continued for 2,3 or even 5 hours. We had no issues stopping after 2 hours, but did often way more. We were very productive.

  We were a good match, but those breaks outside enjoying life (forced by my habits to go at least 60minutes outside with the dog) helped a lot not burning out and making room in the brain.

• by timerol on 5/3/22, 5:43 PM

  I find the anti-backpack mindset interesting, because I started urban walking after getting wilderness backpacking experience. I can't imagine walking around without a daypack, and I often bring it with me even when it's empty. On my morning commute today it held a Kindle, a spare set of headphones, and a plastic bag for when I buy more groceries than can fit in the pack. I'm probably not going to use any of those before I get home, though.

  Backpacks are magic for longer trips. Food, water, coffee, all go in. Unsure about the weather? Layers layers layers, all in the pack. I also use LL Bean's PrimaLoft Packaway (I own two, one black and one orange), and have a shell for rainy/snowy weather. Unless it's both cold and rainy, one of the two goes in the backpack.

  I've also never worried much about pocket preferences on my shorts and pants. I instead care about pockets on my packs. My current big pack is an Osprey Exos 58 (but the newer version doesn't have hip belt pockets or a shoulder strap pocket), and my daypack is an REI Flash 22 (with easily accessible side pockets, and a top pocket that you can reach with an awkward shoulder movement).

  Edit: The big floppy hat comment was absolutely spot-on

• by stevesearer on 5/3/22, 5:12 PM

  After walking to and from work for 5 years along the same route, I found that I prefer walking without listening to anything on headphones.

  Just thinking increases awareness of my surroundings, allows me time to process existing thoughts as opposed to consuming more inputs, and connects me to the people I would inevitably see on a semi-regular basis.

  Personally, I have found that 1 hour + is a good threshold to aim for for some really quality thinking. After about an hour I've already processed normal stuff about family or work and have moved on to deeper topics.

• by dionidium on 5/3/22, 7:13 PM

  > I will end by saying, as a guy, I have never had any problems from other people. In all my years walking all over. But that it is sadly very very different for women.

  He's either only walking in exceptionally safe areas, he's very large, or I have a particularly punchable face. I biked every road in St. Louis a few years ago, which required biking every street in some high-crime neighborhoods. I was frequently made to feel uncomfortable. I was never attacked or anything like that, but multiple times it was made clear to me that I was where I didn't belong. And I was on a bike and could quickly ride away. I think I would have had a lot more trouble on foot.

  I remember being in a bar once and some guy started trouble with me for no reason and my buddy, who is 6'3'' and 250 pounds did not believe that detail, because "nobody would start trouble with you for no reason." To paraphrase Don Draper, "no, nobody would start trouble with you for no reason."

• by kendallpark on 5/3/22, 7:14 PM

  I've gained an appreciation for walking through very roundabout means.

  For the longest time I found walking even short distances insufferably slow and boring. I ride my bike--a lot. The distances and durations I cover have grown each year to the point that centuries (metric or imperial) are a regular weekend event. Boredom is always an issue when you're out for 5+ hours, but you'd be surprised at how much your sense of time can change if you normalize riding long distances. Interestingly, my mind's time-condensation for cycling never translated to walking.

  This year I branched out into winter ultra fat biking, which, as it turns out, can involve a significant amount of walking. In bad snow conditions one can end up pushing a heavy bike for hours at a time. The two races I did this winter had their respective all time worst course conditions. So, I did a lot of walking.

  This spring I've found myself opting walk to the gym and office, leaving the bike at home. My mind doesn't count the minutes the way it used to. I actually have no sense of how long it takes me to get to these places. I suspect the exaggerated stimulus of pushing a bike for hours through snow drifts has adapted my perception of everyday walking. I would hypothesize that the author's 20-mile weekend walks makes their long daily walks more doable. If you want to enjoy short regular walks, perhaps it would help to go out for a very long and hard walk from time to time.

• by astrobe_ on 5/3/22, 5:23 PM

  As for safety, always look left and right when you cross, just like how your were probably taught as a child, really. Because of today's rise of mostly silent electric vehicles, and because of drivers distracted by phones sometimes, you should not cross "by hear", if it ever was a good idea (I used to do that), even if you have the green light. Be extra cautious if a large truck or bus blocks your view. Remove your headset/earphones in high traffic environments.

  The author mentions other (hostile) people as a potential problem, one could also mention wild animals or straight dogs in urban environments. I had a couple of encounters with lost dogs myself, thankfully they were not hostile. Advice on how to behave from "pros" would be welcome.

• by TrevorJ on 5/3/22, 4:53 PM

  Taking walks with friends or colleagues is a vastly underrated activity and leads to some great conversations.

• by ajuc on 5/3/22, 10:55 PM

  I started walking regularly (averages to about 9km a day) over a year ago. It transformed my life.

  I was walking a little bit before, but not regularly. Since I started doing it every day I lost 35 kg and got much happier. I just can't continue to be angry about anything after walking for 1 hour with a good book on the headphones.

  Now I'm usually doing about 5-10 km on work days and 20-35 km on free days. I skip if the weather is too bad but it's rare. For example I love walking when snow is falling as long as it's not the heavy wet variety.

  I agree that sometimes it's better not to listen to anything - you can recognize these days by the fact you don't actually listen to the stuff on the headphones. Then I just turn it off or put some instrumental music instead.

  As for where to walk - I prefer countryside nowadays, but that's probably because countryside here is very walkable. Small roads have pavements or the traffic is so low it doesn't matter. And the expectation is that people walk on them so it's pretty safe. There's only one road nearby that sucks for walking as I've learnt the hard way. Never again.

• by squidbot on 5/3/22, 9:54 PM

  I used to be an avid walker, at least an hour a day back and forth to work, and long walks with the dogs around my home (lucky to live in a beautiful area in the PNW with close beaches and lots of trees, so plenty to enjoy.) I've been walking since I was a kid, as it was the only way to get back and forth to school and town growing up in the Berkeley hills. Though I resented it as a kid, I grew in to loving walks.

  I've been developing severe osteoarthritis in my knees over the last decade since I hit my 40's, and now it's so bad, I'm unable to walk more than about 10 minutes. It's had a tremendous negative impact on my physical and mental health, especially as it was coincident with the pandemic. I've "replaced it" with biking, but for some reason, it just doesn't do as much for me as walking did. I've gained about 30 pounds, I'm tired all the time, and for the first time ever, feeling a little blue now and then and not doing other things I used to enjoy (very mild though, my wife has major depression and mine is a blip comparatively.) I guess I'm a living testament to how important walking is.

  I like the timing of this article for myself. On the bright side, I'm getting one of my knees replaced next week, and the other hopefully in 6 months if recovery goes well. I am really looking forward to daily walks again and getting back to that healthy place I was in for so long!

• by ArtWomb on 5/3/22, 5:11 PM

  I'd love to have this freedom. As well as a nice cabin up in the Green Mountains of Vermont to explore. But 12mi a day, and you're basically a professional hiker for a living when you include prep time and post prandial hot tub soaks for recovery ;)

• by js2 on 5/3/22, 9:03 PM

  12 miles = 19.3 km.

  I've been following Tom Turich on Facebook for years now. He's just about to finish up his 7 year walk around the world with his dog Savannah. I think he was walking around 15-20 miles (24-32 km) a day, somedays upwards of 30 miles (48 km).

  http://theworldwalk.com/

  Most updates are on FB, not his web site:

  https://www.facebook.com/TheWorldWalk/

  Some AMAs he's done over the years:

  https://old.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/3m7erz/i_am_tom_turci...

  https://old.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/4sheeq/i_am_tom_turci...

  https://old.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/al1elx/i_am_tom_turci...

  https://old.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/szksev/i_will_soon_be...

  The most miles I've done (walking and running) in a day is 105 (169 km). It was a lot. The world record is 192.252 miles (309.4 km). Okay, that involved some running.

• by tastysandwich on 5/4/22, 2:07 AM

  Walking rocks!

  I walk every day, preferably with my wife.

  It works for me because I'm not a sit-down-and-chat kind of person. I can't sit still - I'm _always_ doing something. I just get ants in my pants and have to get up.

  A good hour-long walk is fantastic because it provides a long stretch of uninterrupted time where we can talk about, well, anything! Free from any distractions or time pressure. And strangely, I feel way more open to talking when I'm physically moving.

  When walking alone I usually put a podcast on, but most of the time I zone out and end up thinking. It's great because you can carry a long chain of thought and see where it takes you! And the minute I sit down - poof! - it's all gone.

  Nietzsche said "all truly great thoughts are conceived while walking".

  I wish I could say I had such lofty thoughts are the great philosophers. Usually I'm daydreaming about something useless. But it's nice to think I at least share something in common with them!

• by markus_zhang on 5/3/22, 5:16 PM

  I used to ride bicycle with my friend a few times every week 10 years ago. Now it's a distant dream. Both of us have families and full time job so barely getting enough sleep. Weekends are usually spent on chores or personal projects that never get finished.

  Those were the good days.

• by Mikeb85 on 5/3/22, 5:16 PM

  I'm a big fan of walking (or hiking). So much that I moved to a mountain town.

  For one, creative inspiration often comes to me while walking. Second, it beats sitting on a couch. If you need added stimulation, go with a walking partner or listen to a podcast. Plus health benefits (not going to say it's an amazing workout depending on intensity but it's better than being sedentary) and it's fun.

  Yes, it takes time. Sometimes you don't have time. That's ok. It doesn't have to be every day. But it's something you can do with kids, parents, colleagues, by yourself, etc...

• by subroutine on 5/3/22, 5:25 PM

  I know it's not really the point of this missive, but I average right around 12 miles per day at my treadmill desk. So for anyone who'd like to multitask their walking and work, I'd highly recommend trying it. After about a month the walking bit really becomes second nature.

• by SamBam on 5/3/22, 5:51 PM

  For creative inspirations, or even just thinking through a project in your head, a walk outside can be amazing.

  What's best is if you can take a full hour-long or more walk, and let your mind wander for the majority of it. You don't need to be actively thinking the whole time, that can actually defeat the purpose of it.

  But don't let the great be the enemy of the good, if all you can take is 15 minutes, and you need to be thinking the whole time, do that instead.

• by kevingadd on 5/3/22, 5:14 PM

  During my time as a producer at a game studio, the office was located in a little business park surrounded by grass and rivers and small lakes, with lots of wildlife and some hiking trails. We had a tradition of going out on walks every day before/after lunch, usually a couple loops around the park. I made a point of going every time because I found that lots of conversations would happen naturally during the walk and some of them helped me identify process issues that weren't being addressed or discussed yet - the sorts of things that people were afraid to complain about in meetings because it would make them seem like a whiner.

• by bubblecheck on 5/3/22, 7:18 PM

  I've walked about 12-15 miles a day for >2 months now, while homeless. I found myself unable to perform manual labor on top of the walking for any sustained amount of time. Extended fatigue takes over.

  For a sedentary/desk job, I suspect that maintaining this quantity of walking daily would be feasible, and beneficial, long term.

• by tibbar on 5/3/22, 9:35 PM

  I also love taking long walks on the weekends! I've ramped up over time to around 35 mile walks. I always take the same route, over the Golden Gate bridge and back. With this distance there is a heightened risk of repetitive stress injury, but you can help by increasing distance slowly and doing simple foot/ankle exercises during the week. Besides the potential for listening to music/podcasts, it's also a great time to call friends who may live in other places.

  Unlike the author, I do wear a backpack. I really like having all the stuff I might want with me, from snacks to Gatorade to jackets, etc.

  It can be very meditative as well. If you walk quietly for several hours, just focusing on breathing and walking, you can be in (almost) another state of consciousness by the time you get back.

• by daenz on 5/3/22, 7:15 PM

  I got a portable treadmill in June 2021. I put it under my standing desk and walk at a slow/medium most of the day while I work. I'm at 723 miles so far.

• by jillesvangurp on 5/4/22, 4:24 AM

  Corona got me into a habit of taking long walks pretty much out of boredom. I now really enjoy doing that and build it into my schedule. I put some podcast on usually and just walk for 1-2 hours; sometimes longer. I also often walk distances I used to use a bike or public transport for. Anything up to 5km is basically walking distance for me. I'll walk it unless I'm in some kind of hurry. Fitting exercise into my schedule is usually tricky so cheating by turning part of a commute or a lunch break into a hike is a great life hack. And if I work from home, I do a fake commute by taking a little walk at the end of the day.

  In general, any kind of exercise or mindless activity (cooking, doing stuff with your hands, etc.) is great for resetting your brain. Also if you stop looking at cleaning as chore and start seeing it as an indoor fitness activity, you can basically multi task a bit: reset brain, listen to podcast, get some exercise and my place ends up getting some attention.

• by winrid on 5/3/22, 8:02 PM

  Advice: Get out and walk at least once a day, and try to look at things far away once in a while. Otherwise, if you're just staying inside as a resulting habbit of Covid, you can give yourself pseudomyopia (temporary near-sightedness) which can be scary (source: happened to me recently).

• by ChrisMarshallNY on 5/3/22, 10:56 PM

  I walk 3 miles, each morning (takes about 50 min).

  Here's a useful tool, for planning routes. A friend wrote it: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/easyroute/id605127860

• by AlbertCory on 5/3/22, 4:48 PM

  Look up the word flâneur (or flaneur if the accent is a problem).

  Nessim Nicholas Taleb describes himself as one.

• by DapperZoom on 5/4/22, 1:54 AM

  I've yet to read the article posted in the OP, but already want to chime in after reading some of the comments.

  I tend to walk 5-10mies a day, usually as part of my commute within San Francisco. One of the reasons I love this city so much is the walkability. I'm a fan of the backpack for a book, an extra layer, and in case I buy something on the walk, or in case I find an interesting read in one of those neighborhood share libraries.

  My wife will be visiting relatives out of the country for the entire month of July, so I'm planning on a solo trip to some town or city in the United States. Any suggestions on nice, walkable cities? I also like to visit bars and try and see live music.

• by lkrubner on 5/3/22, 5:59 PM

  Most days I walk home from work. I'm up on 98th st, Upper West Side, work is down in Soho. It's about 8 kilometers direct, or I can go up the east side, then wander across Central Park, and make it 9 kilometers, or even 10 kilometers.

• by werber on 5/3/22, 5:50 PM

  This has been my norm for most of adult life, and I recently discovered Chaclas which kinda feel like a cross between Birkenstocks and Teva and are a breeze to walk 15 to 20 miles in. Highly recommend checking out their sandals

• by mseidl on 5/3/22, 5:17 PM

  Get a dog! I have a high energy dog, we're out for 3x a day for 45-60 minutes.

• by at_a_remove on 5/3/22, 9:10 PM

  I was thinking of taking up walking again, despite getting stopped by police more than I would really like.

  But I considered getting some kind of MP3 player and have gone down the bizarre rabbit hole of trying to find out if those even exist now, do they use .m3u playlists, and so forth. I haven't had as much time to listen to my music and I am not a user of streaming services (I want to listen to what I want to listen to, rather than some kind of firehose of what someone else decides via algorithm), so this would be a nice time to do it.

• by analog31 on 5/3/22, 11:23 PM

  I normally ride my bike to work every day. When the lockdown started, I missed my ride. I heard about the "fake commute" where you pretend to be commuting but end up at home again. I made it a habit to go on a long walk every morning at the same time, to get my blood flowing and clear my mind. During the winter, while I do continue riding to work, I prefer walking if I don't have to cover any kind of real distance.

• by throwpp034578 on 5/3/22, 10:00 PM

  I would like to read instructions on how to walk — on the act itself.

  Sure I have been walking for most of my life, but how do I make sure that I walk with a good posture, without slouching, without looking weird/with confidence/grace/poise/or whatever adjective is appropriate.

  I'm sure there are people who walk better than me and I'd like to learn how to do so.

• by georgeoliver on 5/4/22, 5:14 AM

  I love to walk, I think people should walk more, but I'm baffled by the logic(?) when the author writes,

  > Walking twelve miles takes about three and a half hours. Most people don’t have that time, not people with kids, commutes, and full time jobs. A more realistic goal is around seven miles, which takes about two hours.

  Maybe they mean spread out over the course of the day?

• by icpmacdo on 5/3/22, 6:59 PM

  I walked 100km in one day(22 hours) around Vancouver last month for fun, its feels strange have walking develop into a deep hobby.

• by chasd00 on 5/3/22, 6:29 PM

  i walk a lot, not 12 miles a day, but an above average amount. Good shoes and good socks go a long way in keeping your feet happy. Also, i have pretty bad posture so i have to make it a point to not slouch while walking or else my back or shoulders eventually start to ache so be mindful of your posture when walking more than 2 or so hrs at a time.

• by volforix on 5/3/22, 10:24 PM

  I have roughly the same routine. However, I have been lucky to have two additional components on many occasions: * Super interesting conversations with my walking comrades. * LSD / mushrooms / MDMA. Apart from doing garbage collection on my subconscious psychedelics make thinking and talking much more fulfilling and satisfactory.

• by lnwlebjel on 5/3/22, 9:27 PM

  > My rule of thumb is to try and aim for consistency, and never try to change my total miles walked in a week more than roughly 30% a week

  I've read suggestions to keep it at about 10% per week to prevent injury. And more generally to increase in one dimension only (intensity, frequency or duration). Important to know as you get older ...

• by thefourthchime on 5/4/22, 3:51 AM

  I’m a big fan of walking. Most days I walk my dog anywhere from 2-4 miles a day. I’m no extreme walker.

  I have a day job. That said, it’s my favorite part of my day. If I need to think about things. Either personal or work related, I work it out. If not, I listen to podcasts, and learn more about the world or current events.

• by runjake on 5/3/22, 10:17 PM

  Based on the author’s advice, I downloaded that Overdrive app and signed in with my library card.

  So far, every single audiobook I want to check out is reserved at least 6 months out and more commonly a year out.

  Is there some other scheme for borrowing audiobooks? I used to subscribe to Audible but it wasn’t a very good deal.

• by oneepic on 5/3/22, 7:14 PM

  I think this article could use a bit more info about protecting against injury. For example, I'm sure a podiatrist or physical therapist would have a number of things to add about finding a good shoe, or insoles/orthotics, or muscles/fascia/IT band/etc parts to stretch.

• by FuriouslyAdrift on 5/4/22, 1:07 PM

  Best sock I have found over the years... Balega blister resistant wool. https://balega-socks.implus.com/products/blister-resist-runn...

• by mleonhard on 5/3/22, 8:05 PM

  I walk about 3 miles a day. I'm interested in trying sandals + socks. I'm concerned about exposure to MOAH substances in Vaseline. Is there a good alternative to vaseline? Shea butter?

  Do the Teva XLT2 sandals provide enough shock absorption for walking on concrete?

• by jonnycoder on 5/4/22, 3:06 AM

  I was surprised to learn he wears Teva sandals for walking that much, but it makes sense with a little thought. My most comfortable walking shoes are very comfortable on the sides which means no excess pressure. Those Tevas are not restrictive on the sides.

• by stardenburden on 5/4/22, 3:44 AM

  I don't like planning walks. In fact I think it's best to just go out and see where curiosity leads you. This only really works in urban environments, but then you can also drop the supplies and instead just take money with you.

• by layer8 on 5/3/22, 7:04 PM

  > Now that I am close to sixty, this is a really big deal, and partly why I walk. It is the least injury-prone exercise.

  I’d say biking is (in the right environment). It’s certainly easier on the knees than walking.

• by ck2 on 5/4/22, 5:48 AM

  While walking is better than sitting for three hours, if your heartrate is not getting out of zone one you are doing virtually nothing for your health.

  Jogging for 45 minutes daily will actually improve your health.

• by ijustwanttovote on 5/3/22, 6:43 PM

  Instead of walking, I bike.

• by gandalfff on 5/3/22, 5:02 PM

  I've thought about incorporating such long walks into my lifestyle but I'm not certain the benefits add up. Definitely a fun idea though!

• by shimonabi on 5/3/22, 7:27 PM

  I walk 2 km a day with my dog through a golf course, usually at dusk. I sell the golf balls for coffee money.

• by theuri on 5/3/22, 6:16 PM

  It's also easy to hit this goal with a treadmill desk ;)

• by pluc on 5/3/22, 7:49 PM

  Get a dog that requires exercise to not be an asshole. I have two Weimaraners, for example.

• by smm11 on 5/3/22, 5:23 PM

  Put one foot in front of the other.

• by balaji1 on 5/3/22, 5:30 PM

  Great article hashing out the details of implementing regular long walks as a habit.

  However, it would be cool if there was a way to get paid for walking. That would motivate a lot more people, even if it is minimal pay. Walk-to-earn crypto game anyone?